Ban Rak Thai

Ban Rak Thai is a small lakeside village in Mae Hong Son province, northern Thailand, noted for its Yunnanese tea culture and lakeside setting. The settlement was established by Chinese Nationalist (Kuomintang) refugees after 1949 and retains a distinctive Yunnanese character.

The village is best known for its tea houses and small-scale tea cultivation set around a reservoir and hillside terraces. Visitors typically walk the village, sample local tea in lakeside teahouses, and photograph views over the water and surrounding hills.

The community was founded by Kuomintang soldiers and families who fled China in 1949 and settled in this border valley. Over time it developed as a small farming and tea-producing settlement with buildings and customs reflecting Yunnanese influence.

Ban Rak Thai sits in the mountainous border region of northern Mae Hong Son province, close to the Thai-Myanmar frontier and northwest of the provincial town of Mae Hong Son. Access is by narrow mountain roads and the site is commonly visited on day trips from towns in the region.

• Tea culture: The village retains a Yunnanese tea-house tradition introduced by Chinese settlers; visitors can buy locally produced and brewed tea in several small shops and lakeside houses.
• Border location and access: Sits close to the Thai-Myanmar border and is reached by steep, winding mountain roads; accommodation and facilities are limited so many visitors come on day trips from larger towns.